With a number of commercial manufacturers moving towards electrification, ZF unveiled a trio of solutions at ACT Expo 2021 to assist in this transition. ZF’s upcoming portfolio, which includes the AxTrax electric axle and the CeTrax electric central drive, supports the industry greenhouse gas emission goals.
“With the successful integration of WABCO, ZF offers our customers an unparalleled level of eMobility systems expertise that will help the industry meet its goals for a clean and efficient future,” said Christian Feldhaus, director of commercial vehicle driveline technology North America at ZF. “We are committed to innovate and expand solutions for the North American commercial vehicle market as it moves toward electrification and the Next Generation of Mobility.”
“We are committed to innovate and expand solutions for the North American commercial vehicle market.”
With close to a million miles of real-world experience with AxTrax on the Freightliner eCascadia, ZF announced that it will launch a complete modular next generation of electric drives, with axle and central drives for pickups, trucks, and buses of up to 100,000 lbs. by 2023. The all-new electric drives will offer up to 360kW continuous power for battery-electric or fuel cell electric vehicles.
As a near-term technology option, ZF announced this past February that the company is investing $200 million in North American commercial vehicle transmission manufacturing at its South Carolina transmission facility. Multiple North American customers have signed multi-year contracts, and while U.S. production will begin in 2023, PowerLine is on U.S. roads today.
“While eMobility is presenting itself at a fast pace, conventional automatic transmissions should not be overlooked as they continue to play a significant role supporting OEs to meet GHG targets for the next decades,” Feldhaus said. “PowerLine can help generate fuel savings of more than 10 percent and is package protected for mild hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) platforms, supporting the industry transformation to a fully electrified future.”
